


Burning Down the Cabin

by cmshaw



Category: due South
Genre: F/M, ds_seekritsanta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-19
Updated: 2004-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-21 12:32:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/225197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmshaw/pseuds/cmshaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robert Fraser, I am not living an urban lifestyle for you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burning Down the Cabin

**Author's Note:**

  * For [misspamela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspamela/gifts).



Caroline put her hands on her knees and bent over, gasping for air. The wind whipped around and flung more smoke into her eyes and nose and mouth. She choked and turned her face away, ducking her chin under the scarf wound loosely around her neck and breathing shallowly through the wool until the wind suddenly stilled and then howled down from behind her.

She coughed once, thoughtfully, and decided that her throat was not damaged. The scarf would smell of smoke for ages, though, and for a foolish moment she wished she'd grabbed one from the coat-rack that held less sentimental value -- and then she looked up and laughed. If she hadn't put her hand on her grandmother's scarf and looped it over her mouth when the house went up in flames, it would be drifting through the air right now with the ashes of the coat-rack and her coats and nearly everything else she owned, leaving a filthy residue on some other scarf.

She left her pitiful armful of rescued items in the snow and trudged toward her husband, who was kneeling in the midst of his sled team. Her feet were cold, she realized; she hadn't had time for boots, and for once she was grateful for that persistent draft under the lean-to door that required -- had required -- shoes at all times indoors. She stepped over Franklin, who whined and pressed his nose against her knee, and sat down in the snow beside Bob. "Are they all right?" she asked.

"I think so," he said, frowning. "I'll want to take another look at Ross and Bylot when they stop making such fools of themselves." The dogs in question both looked up from painful contortions to lick at scorch marks and gave him an affronted look. He harrumphed at them, and then looked down. "I'm sorry, Caroline," he said. "That was all my fault."

Tears streamed down his face in little rivers through the grime. She knew that his eyes, like her own, had watered from the thick clouds of smoke that had rolled through their little cabin with protective tears, but now she put her head down on his sooty shoulder and found that she was having to fight away the sort of harsh, miserable sobs that would shake her whole body against him.

"Here now," Bob said, putting his arm around her and clearly feeling helpless. "Here now, it could have been worse, love."

Caroline couldn't get breath to speak, but she managed to nod her head against the scratchy wool of Bob's coat. Of course it could have been worse -- that's why she wasn't crying. She could have died. _Bob_ could have died. Instead they were safe, a little singed around the edges and lacking a few material goods that they'd had when they had stood up from the lunch table an hour ago, but hardly hurt at all. She wanted to sing. She wanted to dance. She wanted to strip the unbuttoned coat off of Bob's shoulders and ruck up his undershirt and unzip his pants and rut against him right there on the dirty snow beside the dogs. She'd gotten as far as wrapping her hands around the lapels of his coat and pulling herself upright when engines roared and voices yelled from the road down to town.

"Fraser!" they yelled. "Fraser! Are you out of there?" And, "You were right, Art, the whole damn thing's burning!" And, "Bob! Caroline! I see them -- they're safe!" Truck doors slammed and Bob's dogs whined and backed up against them, tails tucked almost invisible. Apparently the smoke was visible in town.

"Over here!" Bob yelled, and he stood up to wave. Caroline stood with him, still clutching his coat. He kissed her cheek and patted her shoulder, then let her go. "Over here, Al!"

With a sigh, Caroline let him go. The dogs milled about, but at Bob's command stayed where they were, pressed against her legs. Caroline wasn't sure who was supposed to be comforting whom, but either direction made her feel a little better. She unwound her scarf completely, flipped it over, and scrubbed at her face with a cleaner section of it.

Apparently the men, having come to the agreement that there was nothing to be done about salvaging anything more from the briskly burning remains of her home, felt that standing around with hands in their pockets, nodding to each other ruefully, was the best way to deal. She turned away from the bonfire and saw Annie coming toward her. She put her hands down on the nearest two dog ruffs and started limping toward her friend, who broke into a trot when she saw Caroline moving.

"Oh my goodness, are you hurt?" Annie cried.

"No," Caroline said, surprised at the rasp in her voice. "Not yet, anyway, but I'm standing here in town boots and I'm worried for my toes."

Annie laughed and then clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I know it's not funny, but oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry!"

With Annie's help, Caroline limped to Annie's husband's truck and climbed into the seat. The dogs piled themselves by the wheels and nuzzled Ross and Bylot, who let themselves be cozied. Caroline pulled her boots off and wiggled her toes experimentally. "I'm not frostbitten," she said, relieved, and she tucked her icy feet up underneath her, hissing as the warmth of her legs made them tingle.

"You stay here," Annie ordered. "Are those the things you pulled out of the fire? I'll go get them." She lugged the quilt-wrapped bundle to the back of the truck and lifted it in. "Let's see what Caroline saves from a burning building. Sewing kit. Flashlight. Your lovely blue hat with the ribbon. I _hope_ this is a dog harness, dearie. Single malt scotch.  Sword of Desire." Annie smiled and shook her head. "You grabbed a romance novel?"

Caroline hunched her shoulders a little defensively. "I hadn't read the ending yet," she said.

Annie tsked. "At least you grabbed the scotch. And your jewelry, I see."

"I wish I'd grabbed my heavy boots and my snowshoes," Caroline said. "I just didn't have time to think."

"Did Bob grab anything?"

"He got the dogs out."

"That man loves his sled dogs."

Caroline bristled. "Of course he does!"

"I'm sorry," Annie said, contrite. "I shouldn't be teasing you at a time like this." Caroline didn't think it was teasing that Annie had been doing -- her husband had been hoping to get one of the new snow vehicles into town for a year now -- but she wasn't about to argue. "Look, do you want me to take you back into town now? You're both welcome to stay with us until this is sorted out. No, no, no, I insist on it," she said.

Inwardly Caroline cringed. Stay with Annie? In the center of town? With almost hundred people milling around staring at the Mountie's wife who'd lost her home? "Thank you," she managed. "Do you know if Arno's in today? Bob and I are going to need a lot of restocking, I'm afraid."

Annie just patted her hand. "Do you want me to go get Bob for you?"

"Yes, please," Caroline said, and put her head back to rest.

***

The first think she did when they got back into town was use Annie's bathtub and borrow Annie's clean clothes. They didn't fit, but they'd do to buy other clothes in. Bob was still in the bathroom, but she heard the water draining. When she opened the door, steam billowed around her and she flinched for a second. This air was hot but it was wet, and Caroline shook her head in disgust at herself.

Bob stood in the tub, towelling off. "Good God, woman, it's cold out there," he said. "Shut the door!"

"Sorry, Bob," she said, and stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Annie's insisting that we stay here tonight, and I think it's a good idea. We can pick up most of what we'll need immediately at the post store today and start work early tomorrow to get the most light."

Bob frowned at her. "It'll take months to rebuild, you know. I don't know why women always want to go shopping when there's no room to put things in."

She rolled her eyes. "We'll need a new ice saw," she pointed out, "and bedding, and cookware, and a kerosene lamp which _I_ will refill from now on."

He could be remarkably dense sometimes, but he wasn't stupid. "An igloo?" He folded the towel absently. "That's brilliant! I wish I'd thought of it."

"You don't expect me to live in the center of town, do you?" Caroline demanded.

"Clyde River is hardly a town," Bob said.

"They're putting in a _school_ ," Caroline told him.

Bob beamed. "I know! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Robert Fraser, I am not living an urban lifestyle for you. You promised me a quiet little cabin. Where is my quiet little cabin?"

"Does an igloo count?" Bob eyed her warily.

"It'll do," Caroline said. "Come here."

Bob stepped out of the bathtub, which put them face to face. Caroline took his towel and kissed him. He didn't smell like ash anymore, so she put her hands on his face and deepened the kiss. Bob, who was not stupid, put his hands on her waist and drew her up against his body. "You deserve so much better than this," he said when she broke away from his mouth at last.

"Shut up," she told him, and pulled Annie's shirt over her head.

"I never know when you're going to want to talk about feelings," Bob said, unhooking her brassiere with one hand while he cupped one of her breasts with the other. His thumb stroked lightly over her nipple.

"There's a time for everything," Caroline said. "This is a time for shutting up." She pushed his head down until he bent and bit her other nipple. Her back arched up. "Oh! Good."

"But you're talking," Bob said, and blew on her nipple before licking it gently.

"This is a time for _you_ to shut up," she clarified, and pushed him lower. Annie's skirt slipped right down over her hips, and her underwear followed. Bob pushed them aside and knelt down as she braced herself against the wall. His fingers were warm between her thighs, and when he bent forward and applied his tongue as well, Caroline felt herself flush with heat from her toes curling against the floor to her fingertips guiding Bob's head. Not _burning_ \-- nothing more needed to be _burning_ today! "Faster," she said, nudging him a little higher and to the right. "Good!"

She closed her eyes and pressed her feet into the floor. Then she opened them again. "Bob," she gasped, "Bob, you're going to have to stay here for months to rebuild that cabin." He nodded his head, and she moaned at the motion. "I think it's time. I think this cabin was a sign. Bob, we need a new cabin with room for children."

He froze for an instant, completely still between her legs, and then his hands moved up to rest on her thighs as he stroked faster with his tongue, the tip of it rubbing her back and forth until she shook with it. She grabbed the nape of his neck and the back of his head and moved his head up and down, up and down, and then she gasped and let go as he moaned against her and she curled her fingers into fists as a climax slammed through her. "Yes," she said with a heave of breath, and he did it again, his mouth drawing another climax out of her. "Yes," she said, and again, and then again. She put her hand flat on his head and pushed. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay," and then her knees gave out and she knelt beside him.

Bob put his arms around her. "Did you mean that?" he asked.

Caroline punched his arm lightly, meaning 'of course I did, idiot' but lacking breath to say it.

"This could be a difficult time ahead," Bob said. "Homeless and all."

Caroline reached down and put her hand between his legs to get his attention. "That's what the igloo's for," she told him, and ran her fingertips lightly up and down. Bob's eyes crossed. "A home," she said, "with a little privacy."

"It could be crowded with all the dogs," Bob managed to say, and Caroline tightened her grip. "Oh God," said Bob.

"We'll manage," she said, and crawled backwards until she had room to put her head against his hip. She opened her mouth and sucked him inside slowly.

"Oh -- fast!" Bob gasped: not a request but a warning, Caroline knew. She smiled around him and then sucked harder, bobbing her head very slightly as he groaned. She worked her tongue back and forth and moaned for him, and he shuddered. "Please," he whispered, and she bent low and opened her mouth wider. She had him deep in her mouth now, and she sucked as she pulled up and up and down again in time to catch all of his climax. When he leaned back with a happy sigh, she sat up and petted his thigh while she neatly swallowed.

"An igloo will be just fine," she said. "They're quite cozy." She grinned. "You might set a new fashion for Mounties."

Bob was sprawled across the floor. "Whatever you say," he told her.

She bent forward and kissed him. "Good man," she said. "I knew something good could come of this."


End file.
